Lesson 8

HOW ARE DAYS AND NIGHTS FORMED

4 ^ .
One morning our teacher said - “Today we will play a game
and that too in this room itself.”
All of us were surprised and curious. But everybody was
happy on hearing about playing a game.
The teacher said again - “We need to deirken the room for
plajdng this game.
Let us close the windows and doors .
We require a ball and a torch for playing this gEime. I have
brought these things with me.

It
 I have kept the ball on one side and the torch on the other
side of the table.
Now, all of you will come in groups of five near the table, ■v,'
turn by turn and look carefully at the light falling on the ball.

After going back to your seats, each one would write

answers to the following two questions in the notebook :
(i) On whichpart of the ball is
the torch lightfalling?
(ii) Why is there darkness on
the other side of the ball? ”
Most of the children wrote
the following answers:
(i) The light isfalling on the side of the ballfacing the torch.
(WThe other side of the ball is not getting any light
Now the teacher said - “We will write the word ‘Light’on the
side of the ball which is getting the light from the torch and
‘Darkness’ on the other side of the ball.
Now, I shall move the ball slowly.
Is the light still falling on the same side of the ball?”

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 The children said - “No"
“Because of the movement of the ball the side facing the
torch is moving towards the back.
Now, let us replace the ball with a globe and let the torch
light fall on it.
Which part of the
globe is getting light?”
The children said
- “The side facing the
torch.”
The teacher asked
again - “Why is there
darkness at the back
of the globe?”
The children looked at the globe and replied - “Because that
part is not getting light.”
y
^ “Now, 1shall move the globe slowly. What do we see” - asked
\ the teacher.
The side of the globe facing the torch gets light and there is
darkness on the other side.”

Do you know?
The globe is a model of
the earth.

“Do you know the earth also rotates on It axis from west
to east?
The movement of the earth on its own axis ii (ailed Rotation.

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 Day and night are formed due to this rotation of the earth. The
part of earth which gets sunlight has day; the part which is in
the darkness has night. The earth completes one rotation on
its axis in 24 hours. We call it a day.

The earth also revolves around the sun.

The time taken by the earth to complete one revolution around
the sun is called one year.”

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT?

5
S\ ___

0' Work
1. What will you call the part of the earth which gets sunlight?
2. In which direction does the sun rise?
3. In which direction does the sun set?
4. Which movement of the earth leads to formation of day and
night?

7S
 f 5. How long does it take the earth to complete one rotation on
its axis?
*/ ^ Written Work
f\
1. What is the movement of the earth on its own axis called?
2. What is one year?
3. What is the effect of rotation of the earth on our lives?
4. What is the difference between one day and one year?
5. How many minutes does it take for the earth to complete
one rotation?
r
THINGS TO DO
@ Play the game of formation of day and night in your
home with the help of a ball or a globe and a torch.
Show this game to your brothers, sisters and friends.
© Make a list of the activities you do in the day and at
night.
© Find out what they do at night:
(i) watchman
(ii) owl
(hi) dog
(iv) bat
(v) earth